School board election draws near

By Austin Cannon, Staff Writer acannon@amestrib.com

Saturday

Sep 9, 2017 at 2:53 AMSep 9, 2017 at 10:05 PM

It’s nearly decision time for Ames Community School District voters.

On Tuesday, they and the other voters in Story County school districts will go to the polls to elect or re-elect school board members. In Ames, four candidates — Monic Behnken, Jamet Colton, Gina Perez and incumbent Tim Rasmussen — are on the ballot for three open seats. Voters will also decide whether to renew the district’s Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, the tax that funds infrastructure projects and technology initiatives in the schools.

All four Ames candidates announced their candidacies early in the year, so Tuesday will mark the conclusion of half a year of door-knocking, forums and meet and greets.

“I’m ready,” Colton said. “It’s been a long process, so I’m excited to see where it goes.”

The school district in Ames has reached a critical juncture. First, the next school board will be charged with overseeing projects the current board has begun: the district’s initiatives to lessen the racial disparities in its schools; the potential new Ames High School; and the replacement of the aging municipal pool.

“Things are starting to take shape,” Perez said. “They could totally take off or it could back off.”

There will be new hurdles, too. Superintendent Tim Taylor has said publicly that he’ll retire within the next four years, which would charge the board with a search for a new top administrator.

The board’s contract with the teachers’ union expires after the 2018-19 school year, and it will likely have to negotiate with the teachers under Iowa’s new, more restrictive collective bargaining law.

And as always, the board will be subject to the state Legislature’s new laws and the per-student funding it passes.

“All of the decisions on the table right now have long-term, decades worth of impact, not only on our children and the rest of their lives, but our community,” Behnken said.

This election could alter the makeup of the board significantly, perhaps welcoming in the three newcomers. If Behnken, Colton and Perez each win a seat, the seven-member board would hold a female majority. Currently, Vice President Alisa Frandsen serves as the only woman on the board.

At least two new members will join the board; current members Bill Talbot and Mike Espeset didn’t run for re-election. Rasmussen, however, opted to run for a second term.

“We have some great things going on here,” he said. “Personally, I think we should keep some continuity on the board.”

The ultimate intrigue lies in Tuesday’s results. Who will be the three candidates who win seats? Who will be left without a chair when the music stops? With low expected turnout — an average of 7 percent of registered Ames voters have gone to the polls over the past 13 school elections — individual votes get an added importance.

There’s an added wildcard, too. Former board member Roy Cakerice decided to run as a write-in candidate and will siphon at least some votes away from the four candidates listed on the ballot. Theoretically, he could even win one of the three seats.

Unlike national or statewide races, there’s been no substantial polling of Ames voters. Rumors and predictions around town is about people can gauge possible outcomes. Colton said “there’s no clue” what the vote tallies will be.

Whatever happens, Tuesday will mark the end of the road. The demands of being a candidate have increased over the past couple weeks with more forums and the stretch-run push to reach out to voters. The simple existence of a result will provide at least some solace.

“Regardless of what happens, I think I’m going to sleep so much better Wednesday night,” Perez said.

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